Diabetes mellitus is a systemic disease characterized by disorders in the metabolism of insulin, carbohydrates, fats and proteins, and in the structure and function of blood vessels. The primary symptom of acute diabetes is hyperglycemia, often accompanied by glucosuria, the presence in urine of large amounts of glucose, and polyuria, the excretion of large volumes of urine. Additional complications arise in chronic or long standing diabetes. These complications include degeneration of the walls of blood vessels. Although many different organs are affected by these vascular changes, the eyes, nerves and kidneys appear to be the most susceptible. As such, long standing diabets mellitus, even when treated with insulin, is a leading cause of blindness.
The present invention relates to a series of urea, thiourea and guanidine derivatives which are capable of preventing the development of diabetic complications in mammals. Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide compounds having good efficacy in preventing diabetic complications. The compounds of the present invention are also believed to have minimal toxicological or secondary effects. It is, therefore, believed that the compounds of the present invention provide a safe, efficacious way of preventing the development of diabetic complications with a minimum of unwanted side effects. Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and the appended claims.